Wednesday, June 5, 2013

The Quest for the Perfect Brownie

In my view, the perfect brownie is chewy and moist and dense - a little fudge-like in the middle, even - with a very thin crispy top and slightly crisp, very chewy edges. It should not be cakey. It should be chocolatey and just sweet enough. Before it's cooled completely, it should be about the right consistency to scoop out with a spoon (I mean, what? I'm totally not admitting to eating freshly baked brownies with a spoon...or maybe I am admitting, just a little), but should hold classic brownie shape once cooled.

I am on a quest for this brownie recipe. I WILL find/tweak/make this brownie recipe. Suggestions are very welcome!

And here, ladies and gentlemen, is my first (documented) attempt (adapted from this brownie recipe):

You'll need:

115g soft light brown sugar

85g greek yogurt

150g self-raising flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

1 tsp vanilla

150g milk chocolate

1 egg

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 175C/350F.

Roughly chop up the chocolate (or use chocolate chips, if you have them on hand!). Then melt the chocolate in a double-boiler, stirring constantly. Once about half of the chocolate starts to look like it's melting, remove from the heat and continue stirring. This will ensure that the chocolate doesn't burn/do that weird crumbly thing and the heat of the melted chocolate will melt the remaining, more solid pieces.

My trusty handheld mixer, doing it's job like a (semi-)pro.

Once the chocolate is completely melted, mix in the yogurt, egg, vanilla, and soft brown sugar. Set aside for a moment and combine the remaining dry ingredients - the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually blend this into the wet mixture. I recommend using a handheld electric mixer on medium for about 2 minutes. This should result in a very light and fluffy batter.

It's so FLUFFY!

Grease a baking dish (I used unsalted butter), and pour in the brownie batter. Smooth off the top a bit with a spoon or spatula, then pop into the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the brownie appears to be close to set in the middle (doesn't wiggle a lot) and/or a fork or toothpick inserted in the center of the pan comes out sticky, but not gooey and wet.

If you're going to cut these into socially acceptable individual portions, let cool for at least 10 minutes. If you're not so concerned with social acceptability, wait about 3 minutes and grab a spoon.

Wrapped and ready to go individual brownies - yum!

Pros:

These definitely tasted like a proper brownie. They were not cakey at all, which means that the consistency is on the right track. These brownies were fudge-like in the middle and chewy on the edges.

Cons:

Not massively aesthetically pleasing. I am blaming this on using the wrong baking dish. I would definitely suggest using a square, perhaps 9x9 baking dish. NOT a pop-out cake tin. Whoops.

These didn't quite hold the classic brownie shape once cooled; they were maybe just a little too pliable. I was possibly a little over eager to get these out of the oven and try them. Or maybe I should have used a touch less yogurt. What do you think?

Do you have a favorite brownie recipe? Or perhaps any suggestions for me? I would love to hear from you!